Cavs notes: Reduced role suits O'Neal

ATLANTA -- Never before in his career has Shaquille O'Neal been such a non-factor offensively.

He's averaging just 8.4 field-goal attempts a game. His 10.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 51 percent shooting from the field are career lows.

But you're not going to hear any complaints from the aging superstar.

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"Nobody wants to see a 37-, 38-year-old man take 20 or 30 shots," he said. "LeBron (James) is going to take most of the shots. I accept that role.

"If I was 27 or 28, I'd probably have a problem with that. That's how it is now. He's the man. He's going to take most of the shots."

Just because his attempts are way down, it doesn't mean he's playing poorly.

That's anything but the case.

"I still think he's a dominant force for us," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "It shows up in a lot of different ways.

"He's accepted the role that he's accepted. He has a pretty good head on his shoulders."

The 7-foot-1, 325-pound O'Neal has taken on a role of mentor with the Cavs.

"I have a lot of secret conversations with (James), ones guys like Pat Riley and Phil Jackson had with me," O'Neal said.

"I like to put it in father terms. LeBron is that kid who gets all A's that never gets in trouble. You don't have to discipline him."

No one to blame

The Cavs came into Tuesday's game in Atlanta with eight losses.

"I told the guys yesterday that we gave away six of them," O'Neal said. "Nobody has really beaten us yet."

He said the Cavs are on the right track.

"We're playing at a high level," O'Neal said. "The last road trip was a big test for us."

Trash talk

James said he's taking a lot of guff from his compadres at Nike regarding Friday's Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon.

"There are a lot of wagers going on," James said. "I have a lot of Nike guys out in Beaverton, (Ore.), who don't think it will be a contest."

Quick shots

-- James is catching and shooting more than he ever has in his career. "I'm doing more of that," he said. "I'm more comfortable with my shot. You work as hard as you do in the offseason to implement it in a game. I can attest to that."

-- The Cavs are 5-0 against O'Neal's former teams this season (Orlando, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami and Phoenix twice).

-- The Cavs held the Rockets to 32.9 percent shooting from the floor on Sunday. That was the lowest for the Cavs' defense since Dec. 9, 2006, when the Pacers shot 32.5 percent. The Cavs are 7-0 when they hold an opponent under 40 percent. They haven't allowed a team to shoot 50 percent or higher for 22 games, the longest streak in the NBA.